I Know I Love You
by StephieyyPotter
Summary: ONESHOT: Harry and Ginny right after the Final Battle. Ginny POV, then Harry POV. Rated T because I'm paranoid. Disclaimer: Harry Potter rocks! Too bad I don't own it...


**A/N: ****Hey guys, this is my first fanfiction. Don't be too harsh when reviewing, kay? Although constructive criticism is always welcome. It's about the first encounter of Ginny and Harry, right after the fight with Voldemort. It's the same scene, written twice, from both POVs. R&R please!**

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**Ginny POV**

I saw him walk out of the room with Ron and Hermione. Well…I didn't actually see him, but I knew he was with them because I had seen him disappear under the cloak moments before, and there was an unusually large space between Ron and Hermione. I think that was the first time I started worrying about something besides the loss of my loved ones: him. I worried about the future. Did he still like me? Or had he changed on the inside just as much as he had changed on the outside? I remembered his appearance: his hair to his chin, a shadow on his face. Scratches and burns covered every available area on his exposed skin. His robed were torn and frayed, and he had a slight limp. Being me, I started worrying that he didn't like me, and blew it wildly out of proportion. Afraid of breaking down right then and there in front of the great hall, I excused myself quietly, and informed my mother that I would be in Gryffindor tower. Ginny Weasley did _not_ cry in public, if at all.

I quickly walked up to the tower, just holding on to my sanity. The pressure was coming from all sides, closing in around me, threatening suffocation. I had lost a brother, a mentor, and a friend all in the same day. Everyone had been mourning for Fred, Tonks, and Lupin, but I had tried not to cry for much to long. Ever since Dumbledore's funeral, I had felt empty inside. Unlike most people, I had not just lost professor Dumbledore, the teacher that had always kept a high morale and had protected us from growing threat, though that was enough in and of itself. I had also lost one of my best friends. The words Harry had said to me on that day were still clear as a bell in my head, and they still ripped my heart out. I knew he had done it for stupid, noble reasons, but it still hurt. Why were Ron and Hermione privileged enough to stay with Harry, while I was left behind?

I reached the tower, which was absolutely empty. I thrived in the solitariness, able to be completely alone with my thoughts for the first time since the final battle. Slowly, the tears spilled over, and I did not hasten to wipe them away with my hands. I knew that I had to cry, that it would make me feel better. I sat there, with my head in my hands, letting my emotions spill over. I just hoped beyond hope that no one showed up, least of all Harry. I didn't want to make him feel any worse that he probably already felt. His predictability to blame himself for the deaths of others probably took up too much of his mind already, I didn't want to make him worry about me on top of that.

But what if he wasn't worrying? What if he didn't like me anymore? Could his feelings have changed? Rapidly, my mood changed from mourning to fear. I couldn't loose him, too, on top of everything else. The tears came thick and fast now.

Then, I heard three pairs of footsteps come in the portrait hole behind me. I ignored them, though I would bet my life as to who it was. I heard two pairs of footsteps climbing up to the Boy's Dormitory, and this confused and scared me. Could Harry be so over me as to just ignore me sitting there crying? Well, at least Hermione was there, I heard footsteps walking towards me.

Then, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, and I knew at once that it was not Hermione. These arms were muscular, but still skinny. He sat down next to me, and held me while I cried.

What he didn't know was that these tears were a mixture of mourning and gratitude: He was there, he still loved me.

"Ginny?" Harry asked hesitantly, as my tears slowly subsided. "Are you alright?"

"Better than I was before," I said, my voice thick from crying.

The relief was clear on his face.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this," I said. I didn't want to hurt him more.

"Ginny," he said, suddenly stern, "you should _not_ be the one apologizing. I should be. I left you for almost a year, and though I was trying to protect you, I hurt your feelings in the process." At this, his face grew grave.

I couldn't believe it: _he_ was apologizing to _me_?

I guess my expression gave away nothing, because he just continued. "I am so sorry. If you could ever forgive me, I would really like to go out with you again. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

I sucked in a huge breath and said, "Harry, there's nothing to forgive. Of course I'll go out with you again."

With a grin, he leaned down to kiss me, and as our lips touched, for the first time in a year, I felt whole again. His arms protected me, and I felt safe. No one could touch me while he was there, and he was the only one left on this earth. As the kiss deepened, I melted into his arms.

The need for oxygen overpowered me, and reluctantly, I pulled back. "I…I think I love you," I said uncertainly. No, I knew I loved him, but I was worried about what he would say.

He grinned at me, his eyes brightening. "I _know_ I love _you_."

For the first time, I felt as if I could deal with the loss of Fred, Tonks, and Lupin. As long as Harry never let me go.

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**Harry POV**

Ron, Hermione, and I walked back to the common room in silence. I could only guess that they, like me, were in deep thought. Though, I was thinking of something entirely different.

Ginny. What would I say? How would she forgive me? Could she forgive me? Everyone knows that she has a temper, and I certainly did not want to receive one of her infamous Bat-Bogey Hexes. I just hoped that _maybe_ she would show me mercy, and we could at least be friends.

We stepped through the portrait hole, and the sight before me nearly broke my heart. There was the subject of my heart, crying into her hands, sitting on the couch. Though Ron made to go over to her, Hermione shook her head at him, and led him up the stairs to our dormitories.

The fear of what she would do to me melted away, as I saw her pathetic, yet beautiful form sitting defeated on the couch. Without thinking about it, I walked over to her, and sat down, wrapping my arms around her. I knew that she didn't want to talk, so I just held her in my arms, and let her cry. Once she was done, I knew that I should talk, so I said the first thing that came out of my mouth.

"Ginny? Are you alright?"

"Better than I was before," she answered.

I felt so relieved: she was feeling a bit better _and_ she wasn't killing me for touching her. Maybe she loved me as much as I loved her.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this," she continued.

This made me indignant. How could she blame herself? How could innocent Ginny ever feel as if she was to blame for mourning her brother, when it was practically _my fault_? "Ginny," I said, "you should _not_ be the one apologizing. I should be. I left you for almost a year, and though I was trying to protect you, I hurt your feelings in the process." I felt another pang of guilt as I remembered her face the day of the funeral. Her face remained blank, so I continued apologizing. "I am so sorry. If you could ever forgive me, I would really like to go out with you again. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me." And, it was true. She had meant to me what no one else had. She had filled a long-empty place in my heart, and I really didn't want it empty again.

"Harry, there's nothing to forgive. Of course I'll go out with you again," she said, smiling slightly.

Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed her. I was thrilled, and I felt whole. She was there, she wouldn't hex me. She had even forgiven me! After an immeasurable time, she broke away, panting slightly. Her face was calculating, though.

"I…I think I love you," she said uncertainly.

I, on the other hand, was not uncertain. "I _know_ I love _you_." I grinned, pulling her tighter, and never willing to let go.

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**A/N: ****Hi again! There, it's done. You like? Well, tell me then. Please review, and I promise to give you a virtual chocolate frog! Dumbledore cards included!**

**-Stephieyy**


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